Tate Modern, London

Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art that houses a collection British art from 1550's.

The gallery is created in 2000 from disused power station in the heart of London. The building's vast size becomes apparent when you enter via the dramatic turbine hall which is 152m. long. The collection of modern and contemporary art represents all the major movements from Fauvism. it includes masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse and many more. the displays of the permanent collection are complemented by a continues programme of contemporary exhibitions, exploring broad themes of British and international contemporary artists like Dorothy Cross, Gilbert an George and Susan Hiller as well as the work of individual artists. It also housed Turner Price many times.

Tate Modern is a powerful and dramatic combination of old and new architecture, providing 10,000 sq.m. of gallery space. The original Bankside power station was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott 1n 1947. It was closed down in 1981 and stood unused on the side of the Themes until 1996 when the Tate trustees saw it as a potential site for a new art gallery to house the Tate collection of international modern art from 1900 to present days. Out of the six finalist Herzog and de Meuron were the only architects to suggest leaving the original power station building largely intact. Their strategy was based on accepting the power and energy of the original building whilst fining new ways to enhance the utilize these qualities  - a conceptual rather than design-based approach. All of the original brickwork, windows and chimney have been renovated and retained. The original turbine hall has became the new entrance to the gallery as well as providing a vast exhibition space; visitors enter at one end and descent down a long gradual ramp before being carried upwards on escalators to the auditorium, shop, cafe  and three floors of galleries above. Light-fitted boxes attached to the sides of this huge space coincide with openings where visitors can look down on the turbine hall from the galleries above.

Internally Herzog and de Meuron have emphasized the industrial character of the building through their use of polished concrete, untreated wooden floors and plain light paintwork on the walls contrasting with black girders. Externally their major edition is the Swiss light, a two-story high glass roof beam that runs the whole length of the top of the building. This is the outward signal of the building's change in function providing excellent lighting to the top galleries. It also houses a cafe that has magnificent views across to St Paul's Cathedral on the other side of the river. At night this horizontal roof beam provides a destinctive addition to the London skyline.

The power station consisted of a huge turbine hall, thirty five meters high and 152 meters long with parallel to it, the boiler house. The turbine hall became a dramatic entrance area, with ramped access as well as a display space for very large sculptural projects. The boiler house became the galleries. These are on three levels running the full length of the building. The galleries are dispose in separate but linked blocks, known as suites on either side of the central escalators. The Tate collection of modern art is displayed on two of the gallery floors, the third is devoted to temporary exhibitions. Above the original roofline of the power station Herzog  and De Meuron added a two-story glass penthouse, known as the light beam. The top level of this house a cafe-restaurant with stunning views of the river and the City, The chimney was capped by a coloured light feature designed by the artist Michael Craig-Martin, known as the Swiss Light. At night, the penthouse light beam and the Swiss Light mark the presence of Tate Modern of many miles